Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 92. (Budapest 2000)
Éry, K.: Anthropological studies on a Late Roman Period population at Tác-Margittelep
348 K. Éry RESEARCH METHODS The ageing of infant skeletons was based on tooth eruption. In the absence of dentition the length of extremity bones as well as the degree of epiphyseal fusion (in the case of juveniles) were used following the figures and tables published in the work by FEREMBACH etal. (1979). The age of adults was determined using the evidence of endocranial ossification of the cranial suturae (O) and changes in the internal structure of the proximal ends of humeri (H) and femora (F) as well as the surface modifications of the facies symphysialis of the pubic bone (S) following the method developed by NEMESKÉRI et al. (1960). Sex determination in the age group above 15 years was based on 22, predominantly motphological, traits following the method of ERY et al. (1963). In this classification system + signs stand for masculine and - signs for feminine types. The lack of a sign is indicative of a transitional, that is intersex character. Measurements were taken and described according to MARTIN & SALLER (1957, 1959). Stature estimations were carried out using the method developed by SJ0VOLD ( 1990). In the case of cranial measurements and indices the classification and mean standard deviations published by ALEKSEEV & DEBETS (1964) were considered. Generalized distances (Cp 2 ) were calculated following PENROSE'S (1954) method. The mean values of cranial measurements MARTIN No. 1, 8, 9, 17, 40, 45, 48, 51, 52 and 54 were standardized using mean standard deviations published by THOMA (1978). The significance of distance values was calculated after RAHMAN (1962). The manuscript of the present paper was completed and submitted in July 1995. RESULTS Demographic characteristics Basic data on sexing and ageing of the 420 individuals are summarized in Table 16. Distributions by age group and gender are presented in Tables 1-3. As far as children are concerned, first of all, it must be said that the number of newborns (children under one year) is very small (9 individuals), although according to the West 4 level mortality model by COALE & DEMÉNY ( 1966), calibrated to a mean life expectancy of 26.4 years, about 174 newborns may have been expected in this age category. The lack of newborns, however, is not a speciality of the Tác population. It is characteristic of almost every archaeological period since the skel-
